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Thursday, 16 August 2012

The Dark Side, Pasta and Random Recipes #19

Oh what a day? The original plan was to stay in bed through the whole day. At least that is what came into my mind yesterday. However, as things are, there are certain responsibilities. Even little dogs don't feel satisfied, when they can't get out, may it only be to do their business. Well, otherwise it would have been quite ...Yet, here I am, writing and writing and hopefully a bit of thinking in between and writing up my entry for Random Recipes #19 for August at Belleau Kitchen. Dom has done a fabulous job last month for this huge round-up and now we are going back to basics and cooking random recipes again.

Considering the beginning of this day, I can be really proud. It's just barely over the middle of the month and I manage to take part in Random Recipes.OK, what do they say about pride? "Pride comes before a fall!"Right then, before being totally satisfied, I have to go through with it, complete the cooking of the recipe and finish writing up this post.Considering it from another point pride would not be classed as a good quality. The same is true for anger. Oh no, some things really can make me angry. It would be true to say that yesterday there was a day containing 'some things' like that.But beware ..."Anger, fear, aggression. The dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny." At least that is what Yoda, a good friend of me, once said.What has Random Recipes to do with Star Wars now?Well, don't be quick to judge. I will give you a few reasons in a minute ... or less ... or more ... not quite sure up to this point.Aha, for being in such a mood as he his, he is doing quite some talking ...

So ... Random Recipes: "Randomly select a cook book"Here we are: Classic Essential Pasta by Anne Wilson. It has just 64 pages. Now that would be about the size of a cook book I would start to write with, if someone would ask me to do so."Open the cook book to a random page"And ... the winner is ... Fusilli with bean sauce. Ha, that should be an easy one.

"Cook the exact recipe on that page... do NOT cheat... you are only cheating yourself"

In fact, I had a look already at the beginning of the month. When I came to this recipe I thought, well, that might be a recipe too easy or too boring to do.

Was I thinking of cheating?

Maybe I would forget the randomly selected recipe until I would actually do the challenge. My memory might not be as good as an elephant's one, but I did remember. Therefore no chance to do the random part again.

So it may be then: Fusilli with bean sauce.

What did I need? The pasta, broad beans, speck, leeks, olive oil, cream, lemon zest, salt and pepper. After I have gathered all things together it's time to start to cook ...

... not yet, not. First of all some background music. Here it is, were we come back to Star Wars. The soundtrack of Return of the Jedi Knights is already in the CD player ... PLAY!

Again a quick glance at the recipe ... or did I study it carefully? Anyway!

Broad beans have not been my favourites when my mother used to cook them when I was a kid. Nevertheless, I can try again. After all, the way you prepare them is it what makes it to like or hate it.

The recipe calls for peeling the beans. Great! First put the frozen beans in hot water, then in cold water and then peel them. But, hey, no fear, have a try!

Simply remember Yoda: “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

Besides that: "No! Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try." OK, then I just go for it!

That was a lovely job ... not! Up to now, my sympathy for the beans is not rising. It takes some time to complete the task.By the time I was finished with the beans. The CD was already just before a certain track. The video fitting to that you can watch on YouTube. Just one word concerning that video: no parallels are to be taken from that one. After finishing the beans, the remaining part was no great challenge. The speck goes together with the sliced (with the right knife, I love slicing) leeks into the pan while the pasta is started as well.

We are getting closer to the finish line ... just the lemon zest, cream, salt and pepper and shortly afterwards the ... eh ... well ... beans. Then mixing the sauce with the ready pasta and then we are ready to eat.

The end result was not bad, although I wouldn't class it as an essential pasta dish. It tasted fine, but doesn't make it into the category: Well, I have to do that one again, absolutely. It was a pleasure, as always, to take part in random recipes. What more is there to say: “The dark side clouds everything. Impossible to see the future is.” - Yoda. As far as I am concerned, cooking and writing up a bit here on this blog has always helped me so far to conquer the dark side or bad moods. You can't be cooking all day, though, but ... at least ... you can do it every day! Another small note: All parallels or relations to any appearing characters in this post are just ... ah ... well ... random ... just as the recipe. No worries!

6 comments:

I often take to the bed with the mean reds... but a bowl of this outstanding pasta would see me right any time... I do love simple classics like this, bet that bacon really helped things! Thanks so much for braving random recipes this month, I love you for it!

This is my kind of dish. I think broad beans are just about my favourite veg. All that podding and peeling is worth it in my view. It teaches us that the road to pleasure and enlightenment is paved with really dull things. Of course, if you can get someone else to do the peeling for you, then the pleasure of eating is even greater.

The cook book said, if you don't double pod them this will have a negative effect on the taste. I guess that is true! Otherwise I have to try fried potatoes with broad beans and bratwurst again ... maybe it's just my taste that has changed.Well, it would be nice someone else doing the peeling, but I don't see that happening here in my case.However, it is true as always: no pain no gain!